Children of Darkness, Children of the Stars
by SmthngSmlr
Summary: REWRITTEN. Five thousand years ago, the King of Darkness and the People of the Stars clashed in a war that would decide the fate of humanity. Who would win—Darkness, or Light? And which side was truly evil?
1. Of Kings and Saviors

**A/N:** Boy, has it been a while.

But it's back now, the epic I began a whole 2 and a half years ago ^^ And it's rewritten and all! New and improved, with a lot of the grammatical errors inconsistencies gone. AND some more emphasis on the GX characters, even though, as with the first story, the first half will focus mainly on the 5Ds folks.

This chapter doesn't differ, to a great extent, to the first one. Yes, there are some noticeable differences, but that's nothing compared to what's coming in the next chapter, seeing as that one's going to be brand-new ;)

And as with what has become customary, there will be a novel-length explanation of this chapter in the closing notes. So all will be explained from the very beginning.

*sigh*… so I took an unexplained leave of absence. And the apology I offer is the story again, revamped ^^

Like? Dislike? You know I love reviews :D

**Disclaimer:** I didn't own it then, and I certainly don't now.

**Chapter 1- Of Kings and Saviors**

A young boy sat at the edge of his bed, his soft brown eyes focused on nothing in particular. Had anyone walked in on him at that moment—whether it be one of his servants, his guardian, or one of the members of his army—they most likely would have presumed that he was deep in thought about the title and responsibility he was set to take on in a matter of hours. Having faith in the young Prince, they would have assumed that he was contemplating on the ways in which he could improve the Kingdom of Neospace, or better yet: maybe he was already plotting on how he would save them all from their latest threat.

However, he was thinking of none of that—at least not precisely. Just as all of Neospace would be watching him as he took the crown and became their new ruler, at that moment the Prince had his mind on prophesy. He thought of his upcoming responsibility, the burden he was set to carry, one that would be far bigger and heavier than any of his predecessors had to contend with. He was about to take on a very dark path in life. He would become enshrouded in it, the Darkness. It would eat him away and he would become Darkness just as Darkness would become him, and he would use it's endless power to destroy it's malevolent counterpart, the Light.

But only when he was ready, of course. And as the Prince sat there brooding over what he was born to do, he began to wonder if one could ever be ready for such a thing.

Suddenly, a pair of oversized hands came into his field of vision, covering his eyes. "Guess who!"

The voice which spoke to him was high-pitched, innocent and child-like. To anyone who didn't know better, they would have falsely believed that the voice belonged to a small child (of course, they all soon learned better). His mood automatically lifting, the Prince smiled. And why wouldn't he? This voice, a voice which he loved, belonged to his best friend, his companion, his soul mate. His guardian. He placed his hands over hers. "Yubel!"

Somehow, he knew what kind of face she had on: pouting in mock-disappointment. "Aw! What gave me away?" The hands came away from his eyes, and a moment later she was standing in front of him: the lilac skinned, statuesque monster with dark, bat-like wings and heterochromatic eyes. With the way she looked, she was rarely allowed inside the castle, despite her elite position as the guardian of the Prince. Even today of all days, she would not be allowed in for Judai's ceremony. Few understood how much he loved her. How his heart wouldn't be in it; to him, there could be no ceremony celebration without her.

"So, what is it? Is everything okay?" the soon-to-be-King asked.

Yubel frowned slightly. "What, do I now need an urgent reason to see you?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that! Take it easy!" he exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of him, claiming innocence.

She looked at him for a moment, before asking "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He replied shortly, nodding his head curtly as if trying to end the conversation before it began.

Yubel look notice. "You don't need to lie to me, Judai."

"I'm not lying! Nothing's bothering me, can't a guy just take a moment to _think_ every once and a while?" he asked, sounding slightly exacerbated as he flopped down onto his bed, stretching his arms out as he stared up at the ceiling.

She walked over quietly, almost demurely, and sat down next to him. She turned slightly so that she may look at him, her turquoise eye looking at him intently, as if staring into his very soul. "What are you thinking about?"

Judai sighed, rubbing his eyes and yawning slightly. "Eh, I don't know. Everything's changing, you know? I'm just trying to get myself ready."

"Good. You should be mentally preparing yourself. You are going to be the King now. The fate of these lands lies in your hands."

The words echoed across the room. The truth was, he did think about how he was about to take on the thrown, but on that subject he thought of little besides his impending role as the representative of Darkness. He hadn't much thought of his duty to his people, how they looked up to him, how he would soon be the leader of an entire Kingdom. It was funny that, out of everyone, Yubel was the one to remind him of it.

Judai sat back up. "Hey Yubel, which do you think is more important: my duty to Darkness, or my duty to the people?"

She answered without pause. "Your duty to Darkness."

"Yeah… that's what I thought."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No you weren't."

"Yes I was."

"How come I don't believe you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing more. She walked back towards the open balcony, spread her wings and took off.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, upon the lands just below Neospace, another ceremony was about to take place.<p>

On a huge, open balcony that overlooked his lands, a King of a different kind stood before an enormous crowd, composed mainly of his subjects. To his left stood his two eldest sons, Blitz and Nerve; his two younger sons, Taka and Rally, stood at his opposite side. The five of them were surrounded by guards, servants, and royal officials, all of whom stood poised to defend the royal family should their unseen enemy from above suddenly decide to attack.

But this day wasn't about them. Today was the day when King Godwin would present to his subjects their soon to be saviors, the five people who possessed the power necessary to overthrow their greatest threat to date. Their arrival had been prophesized countless centuries before, and now they were finally here. Godwin's eyes held a sense of determination in them that his sons had never seen in him before. _So, this is it,_ he thought to himself. _This is what we've been waiting for._

He gave the signal to his guards to let the signers out.

* * *

><p>"And with that, ladies and gentlemen," concluded Ryo, a small, rare smile playing on his lips. "I present to you, our Herald of Darkness, King Judai!"<p>

Judai sat down on his throne: by traditional standards, this made everything official, solidifying his place as ruler of the Kingdom of Darkness. As soon as he did so, the crowd before him erupted into cheers of thunderous applause. The noise they all collectively generated soon morphed into a praising chant that would come to haunt the young King for years to come:

_"All hail, the Supreme King!"_

But at that moment, Judai thought of none of the horrors he would without a doubt see, as he was now set to fulfill his birthright and become the defender of Darkness. He simply let it all set in, all the cheers, all the applause, all the praise. Their undying loyalty. He hoped he would be able to save them all, and though he was well aware that he could not afford to fail, he still wore the face of a light-hearted teenager that everyone expected of him. He was Judai, after all.

And at the core of it all, his innocence had not yet been broken.

They held a celebration afterwards, one which Judai stood at for all of 10 minutes before deciding that it was time to go. Save for Ryo, his second-in-command, none of the other members of his elite army had been present at his inauguration ceremony. The Kingdom of Neospace possessed an army which in number stood well into the tens of thousands; however, Judai's own personal army had but eleven members, chosen by him personally. They were chosen for the abilities which they possessed, gifts given to them by the gods upon birth. They were the charmed ones, his true army of Darkness. He was proud to say that they would one day fight alongside him, and even prouder still was he to call them his friends.

Asking Ryo to cover for him, he slipped out of the party hall. He intended to go down to the under-floors of the castle; knowing his friends, they were most likely down there, discussing, planning. Even more so than usual, no doubt. Judai knew that there were rumors circulating around the Kingdom: some were speculating that the five fabled "signers" had been found down below, in the world of Light. The five humans who were not really humans at all, but dragons born to fight for the sake of the Light's revival. Judai himself doubted that the rumors were true. He knew that the Light was set to return, there was no doubt in that: his very existence was proof that the second war between Darkness and Light was approaching fast and strong.

He simply doubted the existence of the signers. They were, after all, fabled creatures.

* * *

><p>As soon as King Godwin gave his guards the signal they had been waiting for, they opened the large, double-brass doors which lead to the inside of the palace. One called out the name of the first signer so that she could finally make her appearance to the world she was set to save.<p>

But for a savior, she was only a young girl, no more than 11 years old. She wore her mint-green hair in high pigtails which sat at the very top of her head, and wore a pure white dress that, in her eyes, displayed her dedication to the Light and it's worship and revival. Though poles apart, she possessed a trait similar to that of Judai's Yubel: her heterochromatic eyes, the left the same tone of pink that her cheeks would turn whenever she became flustered, and the right just as blue as the sky had been the day she fell from it.

The King turned around to face the young girl, giving her his kindest and most reassuring smile. He held out his hand to her, and she took it tentatively, as if she already knew that the King was luring her into a trap. As if she finally realized how her life would never be the same after this.

Godwin pulled Ruka towards him until she was standing close enough to the edge so that the crowd could see her. Standing behind her, Godwin raised his arms into the sky, and proudly proclaimed, "May I present to you, the first signer, Ruka!"

The cheers and applause previously generated by the crowd, which had been provided in abundance for Godwin, faltered considerably when they saw Ruka. Although she would never admit it, it had been a stab to her pride. Already an admitted pessimist, she hadn't been expecting that. Did they not like her? She was to risk her life to save them, so _why didn't they like her?_

Completely ignoring the crestfallen look that the youngest signer wore on her face, Godwin looked back and nodded at his guards; with that, they called out to the next signer to make his appearance. The boy who soon emerged from the depths of the palace was much older than Ruka, around 17 years of age. He had wild and spiked red-orange hair that he kept away from his face with a blue headband. His face, covered in tribal markings that he received upon his coming-of-age, told the story of a childhood spent far away from the luxuries of the Royal City. But unlike Ruka, he wore a huge smile on his face, his happiness shining out of his charcoal-grey eyes as he went out to meet his people and his future.

Needing no encouragement from the king, he walked straight up next to the edge of the balcony, looked down at the crowd below him, and waved eagerly at them. Godwin frowned at this, but still went on with his introduction. "May I present the second signer, Crow!"

The crowd's cheering and applause had faltered for Ruka; however, it nearly stopped altogether when they laid their eyes on Crow. But he kept his grin on and didn't seem fazed at all. He had been expecting such treatment, his markings serving as a social handicap when he was around those who didn't belong to the Kingdom's satellite tribes. They all looked down on him as a lesser being, but he had already forgiven them long before. He was sure that once they got to know him, they'd love him. He just knew it.

After a few moments of silence, next signer was called forth. She looked about the same age as Crow, but possessed an air of grace and maturity that he simply did not have. Her hair, a striking shade of magenta, blew in the wind and almost knocked out the pin she wore to keep her long bangs back; holding it in place, she continued down her path in her delicate gait. Her jet-black eyes scanned the balcony, the guards, the officials, the King and her fellow signers, her gaze judging and almost accusatory. But none of them took it to heart. They had long grown accustomed to the way the third signer was.

She walked silently to the edge of the balcony and graced the crowd with a small smile and wave. Godwin placed a hand on her shoulder, and shouted, "The third signer, Aki!"

The same crowd which had gone silent for Crow erupted in thunderous applause for Aki. They went wild over her, the loudest cheers coming from most of the men in the crowd and even some women. She was quite the beauty, of course, the rose of the royal city. She was envied by some, desired by many, feared (to an extent) by all. Some saw her beauty as a gift, though if they were to ask Aki herself, she would readily tell them that it was more of a curse than anything else.

As soon as the applause died down, the guards called forth the fourth signer. He appeared to be older than Crow and Aki, but not by much. Just as he towered above most people in height, so also he believed himself to be above most people in value as well. His pale skin and bright blonde hair created a sharp contrast with his deep, blood-red eyes, as sharp as daggers regardless if he was angry or not. He wore a long white coat, but unlike Ruka it was not due to his bond with the Light. Ironically, he was a creature of Darkness, the aura of his attribute following him everywhere like a plague.

Once he approached the balcony's edge, Godwin grinned and put his arm around this signer, his obvious favorite. The signer stood there, ridged as a pole, as the King proudly announced, "The fourth signer, Jack!"

The crowd fell completely silent, save for some screaming that could be heard in the distance. Jack smiled and waved down at them, though not in the same pleasant manner as Aki had. He had long ago learned to love the effect he had on some people.

Godwin cleared his throat, feeling more than a bit awkward, not quite knowing why he had expected a different response for Jack. But he would change all of that, in a few short moments. The guards called out to the last of the quintet, and out came a tall, tan-skinned young man who appeared to be around the same age as Jack. He wore mostly blue and black; his dark hair was spiked in a rather unique fashion, sporting blonde highlights. He held a serious look in his bright blue eyes, one that was stern but also laced with kindness, sincerity, and empathy. He gave off the impression of someone who was reliable. Anyone who was close enough could almost see the gentle aura which came out of his pours, and the small smile which had graced his lips.

"And the final signer, my own son, Yusei!"

The crowd, still shocked from Jacks appearance, gave an almost universal sigh of relief when they laid eyes on their beloved Yusei. It was surprising to find that one of the Prince's was also a signer; after all, why put the life of royalty at risk in such a way? But of course, they would never question the will of the Light.

All was silent and still for a few long moments before some brave soul cried out, _"Long live the Third Prince!"_

The crowd then erupted into roaring cheers that surpassed even Aki's. Yusei grinned. He did love the nickname his subjects had given him. Being the middle of five sons, it only made sense.

Godwin held his arms out, addressing the crowd. "My loyal subjects, you are looking at the saviors of this Nation. No matter your own personal feelings concerning age, race, or outward appearance, the fact still remains that the five people standing before you possess the power of the prophesized Divine Dragons. You must swear your allegiance to them, just as you have to me, because through their combined efforts will be reborn The Light!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** There isn't much to explain in this chapter, but I will explain anyway:

Nothing much changed in the first part: just Judai being less upset over being the Herald of Darkness. He's way more accepting of it, he just isn't sure if he's quite ready (and really, who ever could be for something so huge?). I just figured, he should be proud to fight to Darkness, because he _is_ the representative of Darkness.

As for the signers, things remained relatively the same. The only change I've made it with Crow: at the time that the first version of the story was written, Crow was confirmed to be a signer, but he had no signature dragon. So most of the fandom assumed that his dragon would be the "missing" 5th one (later confirmed to be Life Stream Dragon). But then he got Black-Winged, and Rua was confirmed as the sixth signer, so now Crow will have more of the physical affiliations with Black-Winged and will be transforming into said dragon and all…

And that's it. Review?


	2. Potential

**A/N:** And here it is, that new chapter I promised ^^ Pretty much the GX side of how the events of the story are put into motion.

Review answersssss. Or, really, answer:

Fanficfemale: I'm glad to be back, too :`D I hope you like this new chapter, because like I said it is indeed *new* 8D

And that's all for now. The chapter will be explained in the closing notes. And don't forget to review ;)

**Disclaimer:** As always, I own nothing that brings me any kind of happiness :D GX and 5Ds included.

**Chapter 2- Potential**

"We cannot allow the Light to be revived."

This was the first statement that Judai heard clearly as he approached the secluded door, the one which led to the main meeting hall where he and his friends usually met. Located five floors beneath the castle's main level, few would expect them to use such an isolated place—however, they used it for that precise reason, knowing it was best that their plans stay hidden from the world until it was time to actually carry them out. Looking over his shoulder to ensure that no one had followed him, Judai knocked on the door.

A slit towards the top of the door slid open, revealing only a familiar set of angular eyes. Had he been anyone else, the person behind that door would have begun to assault him with a barrage of questions, as was customary. However, being the King, the guard simply opened up the door for him. Judai smiled warmly and greeted her. "Hey, Taniya! How've you been?"

"Your Highness," she greeted in return, dropping down to one knee. Judai took a moment to stare down at her in confusion. She hadn't treated him so formally yesterday; in fact, she hadn't even treated him with such respect on the day they _met_. He wondered about it, briefly, before shrugging it off and moving past her. Taniya was a strange woman, and he took her behavior with a grain of salt, as he always would.

But as he moved past her, he saw that all the members of his elite army—the ten of them, seeing as Ryo was still upstairs—had taken cue from Taniya, rising from their seats and kneeling before him. Judai scratched the back of his head, still confused. "What are you guys even _doing?_" he asked, laughing slightly in order to brighten the suddenly tense mood. He walked over to oblong table at which they all sat and, seeing no extra seats, sat on top of the table instead, facing Taniya's direction and with his back turned to all of them. He took one of the agenda's stacked neatly at the table's center and began to flip through it casually, observing its contents. "Okay, so we're talking about preventing the Light's revival today? Good, good. Anyone wanna throw some ideas around?"

No one volunteered. After a few long moments of silence, Judai took a look over his shoulder and saw that they were all still kneeling down before him. Rolling his eyes, he set the agenda aside and crossed his arms. "Okay you guys, what gives?"

Asuka—third-in-command, the one who Judai heard talking earlier as he approached the door—slowly raised her head, taking a moment to push her long, golden hair away from her face. Not meeting Judai's eyes, she asked, "Permission to speak, sire?"

Judai nearly fell over. _"What?"_ he asked incurdiously. "'Permission to speak?' Since when do you ask me for permission to _speak?_"

"Well, Judai—" Asuka began, but caught herself. "Um, I mean, King Judai… Supreme King, we figured, since you _are_ ruler now, your new title would command some more…" she sighed, as if deciding how best to phrase it, "_formal_ _behavior_, coming from us."

"What?" Judai asked again. He looked around at them all, still bowing, and began to laugh. Slowly at first, but it grew in mirth until he himself was doubled over, holding onto his stomach as he continued to chuckle. "Okay, okay, seriously…" the young King managed once he had gotten himself somewhat under control, "get up."

They all rose slowly. Asuka gave her King a long look. "King Judai…?"

"Okay, let's get one thing straight," the boy began. "Don't call me 'King Judai'. It's just _Judai_, okay? Just like always. I know I'm King now, but that's all that's changed about me. I'm still the same guy as I was yesterday. Hell, I could be crowned King of the Twelve Dimensions tomorrow and even _that_ wouldn't change a thing. We're all on a first name basis, okay? And that's how it's gonna stay." He looked around at his soldiers, his warriors. His friends. He rolled his eyes playfully and shook his head. "Geez you guys, stop treating me like I'm some old man!"

The group began to ease up after Judai's reassurance. He smiled and took hold of one of the agenda's again. He rolled it up, and without looking, pointed it at one of his friends. "Theories on how to stop the Light's revival. Go."

He had pointed at Misawa. The young man—sophisticated, pragmatic, calculating—cleared his throat. Crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair a bit, he wondered aloud, "Before I offer my idea's, may I ask, are you seeking to stop the revival through preemptive measures? Or are we waiting for the threat to present itself to us?"

"Just throw whatever you have at me."

"Well, Judai, you know how I am. I don't believe in attacking first, as that usually leads to unwanted after-effects. I think we need more proof before we go about attacking whatever groups claim allegiance to the Light. If left entirely up to me, I'd wait it out."

"My my, Misawa. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to _protect_ the Light!" another voice spoke up. Judai turned and saw that it was Edo. Pale in appearance and attire, he was one of the few born into the Light whom Judai trusted. He, after all, hated the ruinous entity just as much as any being of Darkness. "'Waiting it out', as you call it, will do us no good. The Light is weak now and we should attack it while it still is weak. Of course, I am one for strategy, and I don't advocate blind attacks. We must actively seek out the source of the Light, and once we find it, we must destroy it at all costs."

"Good, good, I like where this discussion is going," Judai encouraged. "Ed, you say we should find the Light's source. But how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well… isn't it obvious?" another cut in. Judai easily recognized the voice as Fubuki's, the crimson-eyed young man who held the spirit of a dragon. Charming in all aspects, he was the ultimate predator. He sighed and twirled his hair between his fingers, his eyes focused on that as he explained further. "I mean, they don't call it the 'World of Light' for nothing, now do they?"

"No, no, you're forgetting the events of the first war," Asuka reminded her older brother. "The Light no longer presides over the world below as a single, traceable entity. Since it's first destruction, it has infiltrated every aspect of that world. To destroy the Light in the way Edo suggests simply isn't possible at the present time. Going back to what Misawa said, I agree, I think we should wait it out."

"So you want the Light to get stronger?" Edo asked in an accusatory tone.

"Frankly, yes." Asuka countered, narrowing her eyes at him. "At least strong enough to materialize in some way. When that happens, then we can attack."

"Why not just destroy everything in that wretched world?" A voice wondered aloud. Judai turned and saw that it was Amon, one of his newest members, another Light-born creature who had pledged his allegiance to Darkness. "Seriously, why don't we? Asuka just said that the Light exists in everything down there. Why not simply destroy it all?"

A worried look came across Judai's face. "Amon… we need to destroy the Light, sure, but I'd never go that far. That's like _genocide_. If we did that, we'd be no better than the guy who runs the World of Light!"

"Of course!" Agreed another. Judai recognized the voice as Johan's, also a relatively new member. Usually light-hearted and optimistic, his voice had taken on a rather serious tone at that moment. "We can't go around killing everyone down there, that would be wrong. But I also don't think that we should let the Light materialize first before making an attack. Are you all forgetting how powerful the Light is, even now in it's supposed 'weakest' form? The ancients had a hard enough time fighting it off, and they were way more prepared than we are!"

"So what do you suggest we do?" asked Fubuki.

Johan paused, scratching the back of his head, as though he knew what he wanted to say but wasn't sure if it would be best to say it. In the end, however, he did speak, for better or worse. "Okay, so, the Light can't revive itself on it's own, right? If that were possible, it would have done so a long time ago. So the only possible explanation is that it's suddenly found some... assistance."

The room grew quiet, tenseness filling the air. They all knew where this conversation was going, just as well as they knew how it would annoy their King. Judai pinched the bridge of his nose. "If someone says 'signer', I'm gonna lose it."

"Judai," Asuka began in a patient tone. "You must at _least_ acknowledge it as a possibility."

Judai raised his hands into the air. "It's a myth!" he cried. "Those guys are just a myth! A stupid one, at that!"

"Myth or not, it's the only lead we have as to how the Light might come to be revived," another reasoned. Judai glanced over and saw that it was O'Brien, another recent addition, one especially known for living his life on the edge. He risked his life while in training, simply so that he might one day risk it again for the sake of Darkness; his dedication knew no bounds. "Just hear me out. Say, hypothetically, that the signers do exist, and have already been born into the World of Light. Let's also say that they are our age. And let's thrown in that they've had years of training, both in physical combat and in religious rituals. For all we know, they could be working on bringing back the Light as we speak. The longer we wait, the stronger they get, and the higher the chance that the Light might once materialize again in it's original, strongest form."

Judai sighed heavily. After a few moments of silence, he waved his hand in a circular motion, indicating that they continue. Another picked up where O'Brien left off, and had Judai looked up, he would have seen that it was Jim, the final of his newest soldiers, known well for his reliability and loyalty, as well for his mysteriousness. "Listen, I know you think the signer myth is garbage, but we believe that it holds some truth to it. With the scenario that O'Brien just set up for us, you've got to admit that it is a worrisome thought. They could be preforming their barbaric rituals _right now_, trying to revive the Light, while we're just sitting around here talking about it!"

"He's right!" a voice cried out, slamming his fist on the table before him. Judai didn't need to turn around to see that it was Kenzan, easily the most outwardly aggressive in the group. "We can't just stand around talking about this, Judai! We've at least got to treat it like the threat that it is! Nip it in the bud, stop this war before it has the chance to start! Judai…" Kenzan took hold of the King by his upper arm, and Judai turned to look at him. "If the Light is revived, I mean _really_ revived, it could destroy Neospace. It could destroy Darkness. It could destroy _everything_."

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't think about that _every day?"_ Judai asked rhetorically. "I mean… how do we even prove it, if the signers are real?"

"Easy." The last voice spoke up. It was Manjoume. "We go out and look for them."

Asuka narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to Manjoume, who was sitting directly across from her. "What do you mean, we 'go out and look for them'?"

Manjoume scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What else could I mean? I'm talking about we take a dive in the Ocean of Different Dimensions, go to the World of Light, and _look for them."_

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Misawa asked incurdiously. It was a rare moment when he was caught off guard. "Do you dare suggest that we enter into the World of Light, into enemy territory, where it's said that the territory is hundreds the size our own? Where the citizens are all rumored to be religious fanatics, fully prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their demonic entity? Where the Light infiltrates all things? Where the _signers_ of all people could very-well be?"

"I'm not saying we all go down there at once!" Manjoume argued. "That would be stupid! Dammit, Misawa, would you _think?_ I'm saying that two or three of us go down there and scope the place out. Blend in with the crowds, talk to the people, try and find out if the signers do exist. Seriously! That's the only way we can know for sure! And unless any of you idiots have a better idea, I suggest you either speak now or forever shut the hell up."

The room remained silent for a few long moments, everything still save for Manjoume, who was leaning back in his chair, balancing on its hind legs. It made a soft creaking sound. After some deliberation, Judai finally decided, "You know what, Manjoume?" He stopped his creaking and looked over at Judai, waiting. The King remained silent for a few moments more, before a smile broke out across his face. "I think you're right. You're _absolutely_ right! You know, you guys," he hopped off the table, and turned to face all of them. "Sometimes the simplest answer is the right one!"

"So you're serious?" Edo asked, a somewhat bewildered expression on his face. "You're gonna send two of us down there?"

"No, I only need one, since I'm going myself."

The room went shock-silent for a moment, as all the others allowed the idea of Judai's shocking plan to settle in their heads. But no sooner than that did the whole room erupt in an uproar, nearly everyone present objecting to the outrageous idea.

"Judai, no, you can't do this!" Johan cried out angrily, slamming his fist down on the table.

But the boy merely smiled in response, and calmly reminded his soldier, "Actually, I'm pretty sure I can do whatever I want. I'm the King, remember?"

"That is true, and far be it from us to question your final authority," Asuka conceded. "But please, think of Neospace! You were crowned King no less than an _hour _ago, and already you're talking of setting out on a major excursion that would leave Neospace leaderless! We need a leader. This Kingdom would fall apart without your guidance."

Judai shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. Remember Ryo? He can take over while I'm gone. He already handles all the boring political stuff anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock to him to take on a bit more."

"Fine, so the stability of Neospace wouldn't be in jeopardy. But if you do go down to that world, who's to say those wretched followers of the Light wouldn't sense the Darkness within you?" O'Brien pointed out, crossing his arms as if not expecting an adequate response. "You know they wouldn't hesitate to attack. You'd be putting yourself directly in harm's way."

And indeed, Judai did remain silent for a few moments, scratching the back of his head, deep in thought. "Well… I can hide my Darkness so it can't be sensed. But I guess you still have a point, since some of you can't really do that… okay." Judai shrugged. "So I guess that rules out everyone but the Light-bearers."

By 'Light-bearers', it was clear to everyone in the room that he was referring to Amon, Edo, and Manjoume, the only three of the total eleven to have been born within the ruinous Light. Whether by miracle or by chance, they had seen the enlightenment of Darkness, and had dedicated their lives to the prevention of the Light's resurrection. But there was no changing who they truly were. Should one of them accompany their King into the World of Light, they would be able to navigate the world with ease, not having to hide anything as was necessary for Judai. But as he and everyone else looked at the three most eligible candidates, it was clear that none of them were exactly excited about the prospect of being forced into such a risky excursion. Amon was the first to speak.

"Judai, as honored as I am at being considered for something so important, I'll admit that I frankly don't find myself powerful enough. I've just begun my training this year. If only for your sake, I'd say that you take one of your more experienced members."

Judai frowned. "I think you're pretty powerful, Amon. If I didn't, you wouldn't be here right now."

"I realize that. But with all due respect, I know my power better than you do, and I know that I have a long way to go before I'm on par with the likes of Edo and Manjoume," he said, gesturing over at both said warriors. "You should take one of them instead of me."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Edo asked incurdiously. Manjoume, on the other hand, seemed too angry and disgusted to do much of anything other than stare at Amon hatefully, shooting daggers at him with his eyes. They both knew that Amon didn't believe in what he'd just said to Judai; he merely said it all in order to evade being forced into going to the World of Light. Amon would never be so humble unless it was absolutely necessary.

But Judai took Edo's disbelief in an entirely different way than which he meant. "That's so sweet of you, Ed, believing in Amon's powers like that! But if the guy doesn't think that he's ready, then I guess he isn't. It's true he's only been training with us for about a year now, while you've been with us for three, almost four! So I guess it's just down to you and Manjoume."

Edo stood staring at Judai for a few moments, before slowly stating, "Well, Judai… if you're going to be using years of experience to make your decision, then Manjoume is the obvious choice. He's been with you for eight years."

Manjoume's head snapped over to look at Edo, the look he bore more shocked than anything else. He'd been expecting Amon to be as underhanded as he just was, but never would have guessed that Edo would use the same tactic. He considered Edo to be higher than that, up until that very moment.

"Huh. I guess you've got a point there, Ed." Judai turned to look at Manjoume. "So what do you say? I know you're not exactly thrilled about this whole trip, but I'd really love it if you came along! Of course, I'll have Yubel as my company, but I only wanna have to use her power in an emergency. And I mean…" the King smiled in that charming way of his, "if you don't come along, I'll miss you much too much."

Manjoume's shoulders slumped. He hated it when Judai made him feel guilty that way. Because Judai was _asking_ and not _telling_ him, the King was implying that he had a choice in the matter. But did he really? It certainly didn't feel as though he did. "Judai, you know I'll do anything for you and for Neospace and for Darkness. Anything to protect this place. But… you also know how I feel about the World of Light. It's a terrible place that I never want to revisit. It holds too many bad memories for me."

"It doesn't have to be all bad," Asuka began, leaning over the table slightly as she placed her hand over Manjoume's. He looked down at their touching hands, then back up at her, his face etched with poorly-concealed happiness. "Your two older brothers, they're still down there, aren't they…?"

He nodded slightly. "They should be, yeah."

"So if you go with Judai on this trip, you can look for them."

"Wait, wait, hold on," Amon interceded, putting his hand up as a means to stop their conversation. "This is supposed to be a search for the signers, not for two people who, as all evidence points to, should be dea—."

"Oh shut the hell up," Fubuki interrupted before Amon could say the dreaded word that would have driven Manjoume into a depression, one that most like would have prevented him from revisiting his old home world. "While they're looking for the signers, they could also keep an eye out for his brothers. I don't see anything wrong with it. Hell, this can even be a _good_ thing for us! Manjoume, didn't you once say that you and your bro's had this one move that could wipe out a city?"

"Yes. We're powerful enough by ourselves, but the power we hold separately was always meant to be put back together. We've only gotten the chance to do that once, and when we did, it created a force so powerful, so destructive…" Manjoume scoffed, the usual touch of smugness returning to his face. "If we go down there and find them, bring them back here and train them properly, I assure you that they'd be a valuable addition to the team. No one would ever think to oppose Neospace or Darkness ever again."

Judai nodded. "Sounds promising! So… if I assure you that we'll keep an eye out for them, will that be enough to make you wanna come along?"

Manjoume smirked. "For sure."

"You know I can't guarantee that we'll find them though, right?" Judai reminded him, frowning. "I mean, the World of Light is _huge_."

"You think I don't know that?" Manjoume rolled his eyes. "I grew up there, for fuck's sake. But…" he offered a small smile. "Just to know that we'll be trying is enough for me."

"Great!" Judai clapped his hands together. "It's settled, then. Tomorrow morning, me, Manjoume, and Yubel are gonna go down to the World of Light to disprove this stupid myth. It shouldn't take us more than a few days. Manjoume," Judai pointed at him. "I know you hate getting up before noon as much as I do, but we can't afford for any of the citizens to see us flying to the Ocean of Different Dimensions. We gotta go at least an hour before the day starts for them. Sound good?"

Manjoume nodded curtly. "Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow."

Judai turned to leave, Taniya holding the door open for him. Once he was gone, they all remained silent for a few long moments, until they could all be sure that he was out of ear-shot. When they were certain that he was, Asuka sighed and placed her head in her hands. "He's insane."

The other's all silently agreed, the only opinion of the entire group that would meet no disagreement or voice of dissent.

* * *

><p>After leaving the meeting, Judai walked through the hallways of his home, using the long way to avoid anyone who might question why he wasn't at his own party. He needed to go to bed early, not something he particularly liked to do, but <em>had<em> to do, in order to be prepared for the next day's trip.

Just a few hallway's short of his bedroom, he was stopped short of his destination. He was knocked down from behind by someone small and strong. They fell together with a large _thud_, landing on the concrete floor unceremoniously. It was to both their benefits that no one had been around to see the ungraceful display. Judai didn't need to think twice: he already knew who it was.

"Shou!" he exclaimed, his attempt at sounding stern and angry failing, as he couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice.

"Judai!" Shou exclaimed in his pre-pubescent voice, hugging Judai while still on the floor. "Where have you been? I went down to the party hall to try and sneak a visit with you, but Ryo said you left. I didn't believe him at first, but then he let me have a look around and I didn't see you. Where'd you go?"

"Eh, you know parties aren't really my thing. I was downstairs with everyone else, discussing military and Light-related stuff, the usual."

Shou nodded. "I see." Looking down at his hands awkwardly, he asked in a tentative voice, "Anything you wanna share?"

Judai knew, Shou was always interested in knowing what he and the others spoke about during their private meetings. Though Shou possessed no supernatural gifts, he was expertly skilled in the building of machinery and weaponry: he was considered a protégé, the visionary of their generation. Judai had once considered letting him into his elite army, but when he expressed the idea to Ryo, the older man displayed such adamant opposition to the mere _thought_ of Shou becoming part of the team that he simply let the idea go.

Sometime after that, Judai, becoming more and more impressed with the growing complexity and efficiency of Shou's work, began to consider appointing him to build military weaponry for the civilian army. However, Ryo was once again against it. Judai couldn't think of a reason why, and Ryo didn't offer an explanation. It made Judai wonder if perhaps Ryo had something against his younger brother, because why else would he be so against Shou taking up an honorable place in history?

"Um…" Judai began in a low voice, scratched the back of his head. "We were just talking about the ways we can stop the Light's revival. I can't really go into detail, but!" Judai grinned widely. "I'm going on a trip tomorrow!"

"A trip? Where to?"

Judai took a look around, and, making sure that no one was there who could possibly hear what he was about to say, he whispered to Shou, "I'm going to the World of Light."

"World of Light?" Shou whispered back, his eyes growing in surprise and amazement. "But what for?"

Judai shrugged. "Everyone thinks that the signers are down there, for some reason. I'm going with Yubel and Manjoume tomorrow to prove them wrong."

Shou nodded curtly, knowing well that Judai didn't believe in the signer myth. "How long will you be down there for?"

"A couple of days. A week, tops… get-in and get-out, you know the deal. I can't waste too much time on it… I just need to find some proof to squash the whole 'signer-theory' so everybody can get it out of their systems. We need to move on to the main issue."

"Which is?"

"Stopping the Light, what else? The signer problem is just a distraction from the core of everything. I just wanna get it out of the way."

"Okay. Well, I wish you luck!"

"Sure, thanks a lot Shou!" Judai got up, dusted himself off, and turned back to the direction of his bedroom. "I'll bring you back a souvenir or something!"

The King took but a few steps forward, before Shou stopped him. "Hey, Judai?"

He turned to look back over his shoulder. Shou was still on the floor, his legs tucked underneath him. "Yeah?"

"What if… what if they really _do_ exist? What if you find them?"

"I won't, though."

"But what if you _do?_"

"Oh, I don't know…" Judai began thoughtfully. "I guess I'll make friends with the signers—maybe even fall in love with one—and start a whole new life down there. That sounds pretty good, don't you think?" Judai grinned, and Shou rolled his eyes. There was no mistaking the sarcasm in his voice. "Seriously, Shou, what do you think I'd do? I'd come back up here to start planning the invasion, duh!" He tapped the side of his forehead for extra emphasis.

"Ah, I see." Shou nodded, and Judai turned to leave again. Just as he was about to turn the corner, Shou called out again, one last thought. "Judai!"

The young King turned around for a second time. "Yeah?"

"Don't fall in love with one of them," he advised. "It would upset Yubel, and I think that's something we'd all like to avoid."

"Well, my love belongs only to her." Judai winked. "Maybe those signers will have better luck in the next life."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So here it is.

The point of this chapter, mainly, was to bring to light the previously unexplained reasoning behind Judai's sudden trip to the World of Light the day after he's crowned King. Because I didn't explain that before. But it is explained now.

Just to reiterate, the eleven members of Judai's elite army are: Ryo, Asuka, Manjoume, Misawa, Edo, Fubuki, Kenzan, Johan, Jim, O'Brien, and Amon. Taniya acts as the guard for their meetings, though I think we all know that's she's really just there for Misawa's sake ;) Though they make no interaction during this chapter. But I think it's enough for them to be in the same room together, so it's all good.

Another main focus of this chapter is to show how things get done with Judai in charge. The way he run's things is _much_ more democratic than King Godwin would ever think to rule, with the members of his elite army act as his de-facto parliament. They're all on a first-name basis and they act quite informally with each other, disagreeing and arguing openly over what should be done; once they can all rest assured that things haven't changed now that Judai has officially become King, they fearlessly let their opinions be known to Judai, who _actually cares about what they have to say._ The whole reason why he even makes the decision to go down to the World of Light is because his friends insist that it's something worth checking out—if left entirely up to Judai, he never would have done that. And it serves to his benefit, as his friends_do_ end up being correct about the existence of the signers.

But even so, Judai does use his authority as ruler when he needs to, most clearly shown in when he tells Johan that he can do anything he wants, seeing as he's the King. Also, in that Asuka (or anyone else) would never call Judai "insane" to his face.

I imply some things about some of the characters here. Most obviously with Amon: while discussing what to do about the Light's impending rein of doom, the first idea to come out of Amon's mouth is *genocide* of all things. He then goes on to weasel his way out of accompanying Judai down to the World of Light, even though he wouldn't have to hide anything and that it's his _job_ to help Judai in any way that he's asked. Semi-democratic system or not, he still pretty underhanded in his methods of getting out of going with him; at least Edo was up-front about it.

And there's also my little implication with the fact that it's Asuka and Fubuki, not Judai, who convince Manjoume to go with Judai to the World of Light. Take that as you will, for now.

Annnnnnd then there's Shou. Didn't give him any powers, just genius-like skills in the building of ancient machinery. Through his interaction with Judai, there is some _seriously_ heavy foreshadowing. For those of you who read the first version, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. For those of you who haven't, you'll find out soon enough ;)

So that's all. If there's any questions, feel free to let me know. And, as always, y'all know I love reviews ^^


	3. Brothers

**A/N:** Here goes number three.

Don't really have much to say in this opening note, lol. Just answers to my review~.

FanFicFemale:WELL OF COURSE I HAD TO BE PAINFULLY OBVIOUS. HOW ELSE AM I GOING TO GO ABOUT THINGS xD

Well, y`all, enjoy. Explanations at the bottom. And don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:** I write fanfictions instead of episodes because I obviously own everything.

**Chapter 3- Brothers**

Everything had gone back to normal for the signers the following day, the World of Light returning to its usual quiet and monotone state. Unlike the celebration which was held for Judai when he took the throne, the signers had none of that—it was, after all, immoral to celebrate anything that wasn't directly associated with the Light's previous achievements. And while the signers being found alive and well was indeed a significant milestone, it was by no means a victory. That would only come with the destruction of Darkness. It was the day that they were all fighting towards and anticipating.

But in the meantime, while waiting for Darkness to rear it's ugly head, they all tried their best to lead normal lives. Such was especially the case for Ruka, the youngest signer, the only one of the quintet who was inarguably still a child. The day after she and her fellow signers had been revealed to their world, she found herself miles away from the palace and the Royal City. She was sitting on the ground, rubbing her sore feet, her toes red and already beginning to blister. She and her twin brother Rua had been racing each other the entire morning, and though Ruka could boast an unbeaten winning-streak, she was now paying the price. Her feet were _killing_ her.

Her brother sat across from her, his legs tucked underneath himself, staring down at his hands which he laid open-palmed on his lap. Usually the boastful and talkative type, Ruka immediately took noticed how unusually quiet her brother had become after they'd stopped to rest. She knew that despite his bombastic nature, Rua was certainly not the sore-loser type. Something else had to be on his mind.

She glance up at him, then back down at her feet. "What are you thinking about?" she asked half-heatedly as she tried to massage away a developing foot-cramp.

He jumped up, startled. "What?" he took a look around, looking a bit sheepish and confused, as if suddenly being jolted conscious from a waking-dream. "What'd you say?" To that, Ruka repeated herself, more than a bit annoyed. Rua smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Nothing really, sis. Just thinkin' about the old days is all."

She faltered in her work considerably; she hadn't been expecting that. The old days? What was worth remembering from back then? Trying to shut down the conversation before it had the chance to begin, she replied with a curt, "Okay," and hoped he would just leave it at that. She didn't want to talk about the old days, and couldn't think of a reason why he would want to.

"Yeah…" Rua responded, allowing himself to train off as he fell deep into thought again. A few long moments later, he asked her in a curious tone, "Hey, you ever wonder what would happen if we went back home?"

She slowly turned to look at her brother. "Um… nothing?" she replied with a hint of annoyance, as the answer was an obvious one. Rua was dim enough on his own, and it irritated her to see him consciously play along with the part. "What do you expect would happen? We'd just be home. But…" she looked up towards the sun. "It's too early to go back to the palace…"

Rua scoffed. "Palace? No, no, not there. I'm talking about _home _home. You know… our actual one." He spoke as though she should've known exactly what he was talking about, like he didn't need to elaborate.

She frowned, her confusion growing. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"You don't know where home is?" he asked, laughing as he shoved his sister playfully. She didn't move an inch, his strength holding no candle to hers. "Wow, your memory sucks! You can't even remember the place where we grew up? That's _sad_, Ruka."

Ruka shook her head. She let go of her still-sore foot and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them to her. Her gaze glued to the ground, she mumbled, "That place was never our home. I don't know why you keep calling it that, after all that's happened to us there."

Rua rolled his eyes. "Stop being so dramatic! You know life there was pretty good, up until the last day. You shouldn't forget about all the good times we had. I remember that one time, when Chosaku tried to teach me how to do somersaults, and it was so funny, 'cause he sucked and yet he was trying to teach me! But then Shoji stepped in and actually taught me how the right way. You remember?"

Ruka sighed and nodded as confirmation that, yes, she did indeed remember. "I really didn't think it was funny, though. He just looked stupid."

Rua laughed her off. "That's just 'cause you're a downer who doesn't like to laugh at the expense of others." He shrugged, but continued on with his reminiscing, not quite realizing the extent by which his sister did not want to hear it. "And then there was that other time, when Shoji almost burnt the house down while trying to cook. Everyone got out okay, but the two of them didn't speak for a whole _week_ afterwards, 'cause Cho was so pissed. Remember that?"

"Yes. But that was more scary than anything else," Ruka lamented, wringing her hands together at the mere thought of that night. "I always wondered how Shoji could be so stupid. Who tries to light firewood _indoors_, for goodness sake?"

"Yeah, but don't you remember? Cho was usually the chef, and Shoji cleaned. Whenever they switched, something always got screwed up."

"Yes…" she sighed heavily, and reached over for her sandals. "I remember that."

"See?" he placed his arm around her, shaking her playfully. "I knew you'd remember our family!"

She turned her gaze to him, her eyes weary. "They aren't our family, Rua. What they did to us… family doesn't do that to one another. They never really cared for us, or have you forgotten why we left in the first place?" She turned away from him and began to put on her sandals. "Forget about them. We have a new family now."

Rua grimaced. "I can't believe you."

Ruka turned away from her brother completely and looked up at the sky, staring at it intently as though it held the story of their past. The story of that day. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered, but she forced them back. Had she known how they would've treated her afterwards, she would've only saved Rua and left the rest to die.

"Ruka? Ruka." He placed his hand over hers. She wouldn't turn around to look at him. "When they rejected you, they rejected me, too. But I've learned to forgive. You should follow my lead… forgiveness isn't for their sake, it's for yours. It's not healthy to be holding grudges." After making sure she had both her sandals on, he stood. "C'mon, we should go visit them and pave the way to forgiveness! I'll race you!" He immediately began running towards the vast and endless deserts, towards the poorer and more impoverished areas of the World of Light. Where they had grown up.

"Cheater!" she cried and she got up and ran after him. She still didn't want to go, and was a long way from forgiveness. But even so, the first signer was never one to pass up a good race.

* * *

><p>"So how do you suppose we make our way down there?"<p>

Judai gave Manjoume a baffled look, confused as to why he would something with such a painfully obvious answer. "Um… we take a dive in the Ocean of Different Dimensions?" he pointed towards the direction of said body of water. "You're the one who came up with this whole idea, I mean, how can you _now_ know?"

The two of them were riding through the multicolored air of Neospace on Yubel in her second form, which some people christened the _Terror Incarnate_—a title that Yubel didn't mind but Judai loathed. He couldn't imagine her as anything other than the sweet and dedicated creature that had sacrificed her very being for his sake. She was far from the monster that some made her out to be.

But to Judai's assertion of his ignorance, Manjoume cried out, "Not that, idiot! What I meant was, do we have to drop down at a certain place, or what? I don't wanna end up hitting the ocean's ground floor or anything…."

"Oh, that!" Judai waved him off. "We can drop down anywhere, it'll still lead us to the same place."

"Really?"

Judai nodded. "Really."

"You sure?"

"When have I ever _not_ been sure? C'mon, you're hurting my feelings," the King pouted, placing a hand to his heart. "What have I ever done to make you not trust me?"

Manjoume frowned, suddenly feeling guilty. He hated it when Judai did that. "Nothing."

"That's what I thought. You can rely on me, okay? I would never lead you into a trap."

"That's not what I was trying to sa—"

Just then, Yubel let out a roar. It rang throughout the air and echoed into the distance. The two looked down, and saw that they were flying above the Ocean, its clear and crystalline depths reflecting the sky of Darkness, casting small rainbows upon them. The King looked at his solider, the two of them nodding in mutual confirmation as they set out on a journey that, unbeknownst to them, would become far more complicated than they ever would have imagined.

The two drew their deepest breathes as Yubel took a nosedive into the ocean.

* * *

><p>"I win!"<p>

"You cheated!"

"Think I care? I finally beat you!"

It was true. Rua had won against his sister, not once but twice. His first victory involved racing his sister; his second had nothing to do with who was the fastest: indeed, he'd led her all the way to the entrance of the orphanage where they'd grown up. From far away, it appeared to be nothing more than a shack; up close, it appeared a bit more refined, but not by much. But even so, as Ruka laid eyes on the place where she'd been raised, the first time she had done so in little over a year, her heart swelled with the warmth and love that seemed to radiate from its walls. What had been given to her once upon a time, and then swiftly taken away.

"C'mon!" Rua tugged at his sister's sleeve. "It's getting close to evening, they should be eating dinner by now. Who knows, maybe we'll even get something to eat!" He began to move towards the orphanage, but Ruka did not budge. He looked back at his sister and frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked when he saw that she wasn't looking at him, or the orphanage, but was in fact had turned her attention to the sky overhead..

The sky in the World of Light was a light and bright blue in the morning, before fading into a multitude of orange and yellow hues with the sunset. After that, it became a dark indigo, pitch-dark save for the multitude of stars which filled the night sky. This pattern was true and consistent for most their sky, but not all of it. By some abnormality, there was a strip in the sky, jagged and irregular, just over the desert's horizon. Ruka stood staring at it. It was a colorful phenomenon, beautiful and mysterious and in a constant state of migration: it was rare for it to be found in the same place twice. According to legend, the strip had first been the medium by which the Light shone down to the people of it's world. But then, after the first war between Light and Darkness which had seen the Light defeated, the strip no longer served the Light's purpose, but became something else entirely, a multicolored patchwork of all different shades. No one in the World of Light was quite sure of what was up there.

"Ru_ka!_"

She turned back to look at her brother, who had his arms crossed, looking impatient. Sighing heavily, her nervousness growing in the put of her stomach, she turned towards the door and tried to push it open, only to find discover that it was bolted shut from the inside. Of course, it only made sense—their door never having a lock was what almost got them all killed in the first place. Now, they could do one of two things: Ruka could transform into her true form and blow right through the door, or Rua could knock. They would go with the latter.

Some shuffling could be heard in the background. "Who is it?" A familiar voice called out from behind the other end of the door.

Rua scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You know who this is. Let us in!" Ruka looked at her brother incurdiously. He was acting as if they'd been away for a few hours instead of nearly a year.

But, sure enough, the twins could soon hear the bolt be lifted from the door. The door opened a crack, and a pair of jet black eyes peaked through, and as soon as he made sure it was them, the door swung open. "Rua? Ruka?" Before them stood a tall, overweight man with shoulder length black hair and a matching goatee. He stared at the signer and her brother in way that the girl interpreted as disgust, and the boy interpreted as joy.

Rua grinned up at his former caretaker, waving eagerly. "Hi, Chosaku!"

"Rua… Ruka!" The large man dropped down to one knee and, to Ruka's surprise, pulled the both of them into a bone-crushing hug. Ruka gasped; she'd forgotten how abnormally strong the brothers could be. How neither of them seemed to know their own strength.

"Chosaku? What's going on?" an equally familiar voice called out from inside.

He let go of the twins and looked back into the darkness of the shack. "Shoji! Come on out, you've got to see who it is!"

Said person soon did as he was asked, and his reaction had been even _more_ severe than his older brother's. "Oh my God it's Ruka and Rua I can't believe it!" he cried, his thoughts coming out in a hurried mess. He rushed towards them and lifted the two into his arms, twirling them around. The man who was holding them was muscular, slightly taller than Chosaku, with short black hair and large green eyes, the left of which sported a deep scar from a childhood incident that scratched right through the cornea, leaving the eye glazed, lifeless and useless.

"Boy, have I missed the two of you," he said as he put them down.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Chosaku spoke up, coming towards them. He stood to his brother's right side. "Why don't the two of you stay for dinner? The others just finished and out in the backyard, so we shouldn't be disturbed. We'll be able to talk in peace."

"That'd be great!" Rua consented eagerly, giving no thought as to how Ruka would possibly feel about staying over. He took her by the hand and dragged her along with him, past Chosaku and Shoji and into the depths of their old home, still as dark and damp as ever. The entire place consisted of a living room and two small bedrooms, but this was only in practice: with no partitioning's between the three so-called 'rooms', in theory there was only one, large room. For a home that sheltered over 40 children, it was an understatement to say that living conditions were cramped at best, and that privacy in all forms was a foreign concept. There was no space to safely cook indoors; most of the cooking was done in the backyard, over some firewood and a large, iron cauldron. Said food was acquired through sporadic donations provided by some generous nobles, and Shoji's own periodic trips to the markets of the Royal City.

He would usually take one or two of the children along with him whenever he made his trips. Ruka could remember once going with him: it had been her first taste of life outside of the shack and the endless hopelessness of the desert. And she remembered with pristine precision of how amazed she had been of everything in the capital, all the large monuments, the gold statues, the homes made of marble, the sheer wonder that was the royal palace itself. She had never dreamed of anything ever being as big as the palace. And she vowed to herself then, that she would live in the Royal City someday. Upon sharing this dream with Shoji, however, she quickly learned that things weren't that simple.

"_Ah, Ruka..." he rubbed the back of his head. "You need a lot of money to live in a place like this, you know? Only really rich nobles are allowed to live in the Royal City."_

"_Am I a noble?" she asked innocently, already painfully aware of the fact that she was far from rich. _

_Shoji shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not the one to ask, it's not like I knew your parents or anything… but hey!" he patted the top of her head. "Your life is pretty good, right? Why would you wanna live in a big stupid city, when you can live the way we do? Free and happy, with love all around you all the time?"_

At the time, she believed him. But after the incident which saw her rejected and sent into a self-imposed exile, she began to doubt the truth in his words. Had she ever truly been loved by these people?

"Ruka, c'mon."

It was her brother's voice that had stirred her form her thoughts, the recesses of her mind and memory. He took her by the hand and led her to the living room area, where they sat on the floor. Shoji sat with them as Chosaku disappeared momentarily into the backyard. He returned a few moments later cradling two bowls, both of them half-full with what appeared to be left-over soup. He placed both bowls before them, and the twins began to have at them eagerly, not having eaten anything since early in the morning. The two brothers watched them eat, neither of them speaking, as though patiently waiting for the two of them to finish. And when they did indeed finish a few short minutes later, Chosaku cleared his throat, causing the two to look up. They both immediately took notice to how serious the two brothers suddenly appeared.

"Ruka," Chosaku began, leaning forward slightly. "I'm actually glad you came here today. I've always wanted to have the chance to talk to you again after…" he cleared his throat, "that day. What happened back then."

The young girl visibly deflated. Just when she'd been feeling something akin to comfort, all the memories came rushing back. And she wondered for a moment why Chosaku would want to talk to her about it—after all, what was there to discuss? Hadn't he and Shoji figured it out? Didn't they know who she was? After all, the first time she transformed into her true form was also the day they both rejected her, the day she and Rua ran away. But then she remembered how the brothers, while intelligent, were also oblivious. How they always missed the obvious and probably didn't have it in them to piece everything together that way.

But couldn't they see her mark? She looked down at her simple white dress, how it was long-sleeved, and realized it then. Due to the thick material that the dress was made out of, it was impossible for anyone to see the tell-tale mark on her arm. And while it was true that Godwin had presented them to the world the day before, the truth was he had only been speaking to the inhabitants of the Royal City; the news wasn't yet known to the country-folk, the poverty stricken, the tribesmen and the people of Darkness. She knew that already, all too well. News would eventually get to them by word-of-mouth, but it only struck her then that her former caretakers most likely didn't have any idea that she was a signer. She placed her bowl down, and, without taking her eyes off of it, mumbled, "Sure. What about it?"

She didn't see it, but Chosaku also looked down at his hands, not wanting to look at her either, mostly due to shame. "Listen, about what happened. Me and Shoji… may have overreacted. After we had some time to think about it, we realized that nothing about that day was your fault."

Shoji nodded in agreement. "It was all on us, because of what we believe." He paused for a moment, as though thinking something over, perhaps wondering if it would be wise to continue. He eventually did. "It's a long story… eh, well, not really. There are certain parts that we can't really tell you about, but I'll try to explain it as best as I can." He cleared his throat slightly, before continuing. "Back many years ago, when the two of you were probably only a few years old, something bad happened to me and Chosaku. Our village… was attacked, because a lot of people didn't really like our leader." He took a glance around the empty shack in which they sat, still dark and slightly wet. He looked nervous, as though afraid that someone might be listening in on what he was saying. "They invaded our village, kidnapped our leader, and then they… started to do bad things to the people around us, our fellow villagers. They blamed us all for following him."

Chosaku continued. "We later found out that the reason behind all the hatred against our leader was because he was an outspoken critic of King Godwin and his handling of the satellite tribes and the people of Darkness. Godwin used the prophesized war against Darkness as an excuse to… do bad things to these people. He said he was doing it for the sake of the Light and the signers."

Ruka froze. Rua snuck a quick glance at her, wringing his sweaty palms nervously.

"Our leader hated the signers, the very idea of them, because in his eyes they were the embodiment of all the reasons why Godwin did… the things that he did. And he was absolutely right. The signers, they weren't the ones to authorize his behavior, hell, they _don't even exist yet_, but you get my point, right? The idea of them was the reason why."

"Point is," Shoji picked up, "you transformed into a _dragon _of all things, right in front of us. It's not everyday something crazy like that happens, and that's what the signers are supposed to be all about, right? Dragons. So you get it, right? The signers are a source of evil, a justification for it, and we thought you were a signer. That's why we were so mean, and why we didn't stop you from leaving when you, er, flew away."

"But we aren't angry with you anymore, Ruka. We realized it was a mistake, what we did." Chosaku laughed some, shaking his head. "Of course _you_ aren't a signer. You, of all people, could never be a source of evil."

Ruka swallowed the lump in her throat, forced a smile as best as she could, and nodded forcefully. "Yeah. O-of course I'm not a signer. I could never be a signer." Truthfully, the young girl didn't quite know why she was lying in that way, about who she truly was. It wasn't as though they could actually _do _anything to her besides push her away all over again. But as she looked up into their smiling faces, her two surrogate parents, she knew that she could never tell them the truth, at least not herself. She didn't know if she could bear to be rejected so violently again.

She knew that they were wrong to think of the venerable King Godwin as evil, to think of _her_ as a source of evil, but she would forgive them. Chosaku and Shoji were oblivious, but they were intelligent. They would see the error of their way's soon enough.

"But what's so bad about the signers?" Rua piped up, interrupting her train of thought. Ruka's entire body became tense—of course, Rua would ruin everything by opening his mouth, by saying the _last_ thing that needed to be said. It was what he did best; in fact, she was surprised that it hadn't happened earlier. "And King Godwin, too! They're good people! How do the two of you know so much? How come you never thought to question whether that 'leader' of yours was telling the truth, huh? What are your reasons for doubting the Light's decisions?" the young boy accused, his audacity surprising no one. Any other adult would have immediately chastised him for speaking so boldly, with such a blatant lack of respect; however, the two brothers only smiled.

"We have our reasons why, kid," Chosaku assured, patting his head. "Trust me; we know what we're talking about. But that's a conversation for another day. Maybe when you're older and can better understand, we'll tell you all the reasons why…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Here we go:

From the first paragraph, another difference between the World of Light and Neospace is highlighted: in Neospace, things like Judai's crowning and presumably other non-Darkness-related holidays are celebrated, while in the World of Light, it's considered _"immoral to celebrate anything that [isn't] directly associated with the Light's previous achievements"_.

There isn't much symbolism in the conversation between Ruka and Rua, besides to highlight their differences as well: as it is in the anime, they're total opposites. Rua also holds considerable sway in Ruka's life, coercing her to go back to the orphanage where they grew up even though she _clearly_ does not want to go.

The scene with Judai, Manjoume and Yubel flying to the Ocean of Different Dimensions is _pure, unadulterated filler_ since I felt like they had to make an appearance even though they didn't have much to talk about. But, they will come back to relevance in chapter 4, so all is well ^^

The muti-colored strip in the sky, for those of you who haven't read the first version of this story… is something that discover more about by chapter 8 or so ;) Same thing as to why Chosaku and Shoji are so OOC—there's a reason for this, a legit one. Now, as for the orphanage and the living arrangements that these forty or so kids have to live with, that's something that I'll explain now: it's to highlight the duality that exists in the World of Light, to show the huge gap between the rich and poor. The lot of them are cramped into a fucking _shack_, while that certainly isn't the case for those rich noble's living in the Royal City, and _especially_ not the case for those living in the palace (more on that later).

Also, something small when it comes to that little flashback with Ruka and Shoji: she ask's him if she's a noble. He tells her that he doesn't know. The obvious answer would be no, she isn't a noble, she's an orphan living in poverty, but I wrote it this way to display the way of thinking in the World of Light, at least on a small scale. Had Ruka been born a noble, even if she were orphaned ended up in a shack, according to the logic in this world, she would still be a noble. Where you're born into is set into stone. Shoji also implies that it's hard to transcend class lines, as he doesn't try to encourage her childhood dream of one day living in the Royal City, but rather, tries to squash it by trying to convince her that her life is good as is. So... yeah. Just something to think about.

Now. As for the whole conversation that goes down between Chosaku, Shoji and Ruka: without revealing everything (it will be revealed in due time, but with what happened now) what basically happened was something triggered Ruka's signer mark, and she transforms into Ancient Fairy. I imply that it was some sort of attack, as, early in the chapter, she thinks back on the day when she transforms and concludes _"had she known how they would've treated her afterwards, she would've only saved Rua and left the rest to die."_ So basically, after Ruka "saves" Chosaku and Shoji and everyone else, they treat her like garbage, and this prompts her to leave the orphanage with Rua.

And now with her recent visit, they explain their reasoning behind why they reacted the way that they did: it's because the two of them hate Godwin and see the Light and the signers as nothing more than an excuse he used to rule over the World of Light in an authoritarian manner. They are aware of some alleged atrocities that Godwin has committed because the "leader" of their village told them so: as a result they also hate the Light and the signers. On the day that she transformed, they immediately thought that Ruka was a signer, and shamed her into running away.

And Ruka lies about being a signer because, now that it's clear that her two former caretakers have forgiven her and accept her once again, she doesn't want to do anything to risk it. She's tired of being rejected, after all; it happens to her an awful lot.

_If this doesn't make 100% sense, that's okay, it's not supposed to._ Everything will be revealed in due time.

Annnnnnd that's about it for now. Review? :3


	4. Rescue

**A/N:** SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Just… school stuff. Y'all know the drill, yes? ^^

This chapter is rather short. I mean, it's longer than it's original version, but still shorter than the average chapter. But that's good, in a way: it gets right to the point ^^

IN RESPONSE TO MY REVIEWS!

Fanficfemale: There will always be chapters devoted to the twins. Always. And their backstory should be coming soon! After everything I already had is rewritten and all…

SecondtoNon: AND HERE IS THE UPDATE :D

Now, on with the story! :3

**Disclaimer:** Never in a million years will I own something as amazing as GX _or_ 5Ds *creys*

**Chapter 4- Rescue**

Judai and Manjoume held onto Yubel as steadfastly as they could, gripping onto her wings with a ferocious type of desperation, knowing that if they let go they would be lost within the Ocean forever. They were far too deep to have any hope of swimming back up by their own merits, after all. Yubel swam as quickly as she could, and the deeper she went, the harder it became for the three of them to cope against the rising pressure; for Yubel, the intensity of it all only applied to a certain extent, but Judai and Manjoume felt the effects far more severely. They were gifted, but still only human. But, it would all be over soon. They were getting close.

As if to signify this, the water around them began to rush around with an increasing force, all that was pitch black suddenly shining with the intensity of a thousand stars. The burning illumination enveloped them entirely, and as they approached the Light, came into increasing contact with it, Judai began to lose himself. The Light clamped down on him fiercely, immediately recognizing him, displaying no hesitation in showing off it's might. Judai screamed into the water surrounding him, his cries muffled, and he let go of Yubel out of reflex. He shut his eyes tightly in an attempt to find some comfort and some Darkness, but he could not. Behind his eyelids, it was perhaps even brighter still.

He slowly drifted away from Manjoume and Yubel, still sinking but a far slower rate than they were. He was painfully aware that, despite being the chosen Herald of Darkness, he was still human in his limitations. Darkness could save the universe from the Light, but could not save Judai from drowning.

Judai's head spun, his lungs aching and desperate for air. He tried to detach himself from everything, from the Light surrounding him, from his own impending death, but could find nothing that was worth thinking about other than his will to live.

He knew he had to live.

Judai took a breath, the Light filling his lungs and burning it's way straight to his mind. And as all burned clean and became just like new, Judai broke through the barrier and fell through the air.

* * *

><p>"I can't tell you two how happy we are you came over to visit! Are you sure you have to leave so soon?"<p>

Shoji asked this as he and Chosaku escorted the twins out of their makeshift home, the oversized shack made of old mud and rotting wood and other unsavory variables. The sun was still out, though its low position in the sky marked the beginning of it's dangerous decent into the horizon. Darkness would soon be approaching, and it was for that reason mostly that the twins had to leave.

Rua glanced over at his sister, who in turn was staring down at the floor. He swore then that she was the most complicated person he ever knew. "Yeah," he began, turning back towards the brothers. "The, uh, people we're staying with… they're probably starting to get worried. We should get back before nightfall."

"Well, alright," Shoji nodded, smiling agreeably. "You're welcome back any time, okay?"

Rua smiled and nodded in return, trying not to notice the way his sister's shoulders slumped at the offer. He turned over to look at Chosaku, his smile faltering a bit when he took note of how the older man seemed worried, his gaze fixated towards the sky. "Um, Cho?" he began tentatively, "you okay?"

He didn't answer, his eyes narrowing as he continued to stare out into the distance. "What… what _is_ that?" he murmured in a voice so low that he seemed to be talking to himself. Ruka, Rua and Shoji all turned to look out at what had Chosaku so worried. As soon as they saw what it was, they were all shocked into silence, too immersed in studying the phenomenon that seemed to be unfolding before their very eyes.

They could make out a dark figured crashing down out of the colorful strip of sky, the anomaly which haunted the sky of the World of Light. Though they could make out no specific features, they knew one thing for sure: the figure seemed to be a two headed dragon, with a small and pale body holding onto it for dear life. The dragon looked as though it had lost control of itself as it spiraled down with no safe hope of landing. It soon collided onto the ground with a large clash that sent a cloud of sand and debris in its wake.

Shoji was the first to speak up after that. "Should we… do anything?" he asked, the uncertainty evident in his voice.

"Of course we should!" cried Rua, as though the answer was obvious. "It could be hurt!"

"And what if it's a malevolent creature that could do us harm?"

"Do you really think we need to worry about that?" Rua stated, rolling his eyes. He looked over at his twin sister, whose gaze was still fixated on the strip of sky that the mysterious dragon had just fallen out of. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Look up there!" she cried, pointing adamantly. "Another one!"

They turned to look back towards the strip, and sure enough, the four of them could make out yet another figure falling out of the portal, clad in black and red gear, obviously unconscious.

Before anyone could protest, Ruka's chest began to glow, Light enveloping her entire body, beams of brightness streaming from her eyes and mouth. Her small, pubescent body began to morph, her legs disappearing into her body, her hands growing larger and larger as her short human body became long and slender. Her heterochromatic eyes faded to yellow as they grew in size and shape, her pale skin intensifying into a deep blue. The last to come were the large, pink, delicate wings which sprouted from her back in one swift motion, blooming from within her like a flower.

Chosaku, Shoji and Rua had no time to marvel at her beauty; as soon as her transformation was complete, she dashed off towards the boy who fell from the sky. She fought against the wind, which had suddenly turned against her in what seemed to be a harsh attempt to keep her from rescuing him. She let out a roar of frustration and pressed onward.

"C'mon, Ruka! You can make it!" she heard her twin brother as her cheered her on from the ground below.

"Yeah! If anyone can do it, you can!" Chosaku said.

"We believe in you, Ruka!" Shoji cried.

Although she would never admit it, their reassurance encouraged her to fight harder, breaking the winds that had been holding her back and finally making it to the boy. She flew just underneath him and a moment later he landed on her back, completely unharmed thanks to her.

She flew through the air back to her brother and their former guardians, careful not to drop the boy she had just rescued. She laid her long, reptilian body down and allowed for Chosaku to lift the boy off of her and into his arms. She began to glow once again, and slowly, her body morphed backed into its façade of normalcy. Chosaku carried the boy inside as Rua and Shoji knelt down beside her. She was limp and looked absolutely exhausted. "Did I do good?" the young signer whispered, a small smile making its way across her face as she heard the sound of her own voice. She thought it was funny, the irony of it: for a girl who was supposed to be a dragon, she sounded so small.

"No, sis. You did _great_." Rua grinned.

Ruka nodded and closed her eyes, losing consciousness almost immediately. Shoji lifted her up off the ground, and Rua stood with him. Looking down at the small girl in his arms, a look of weariness and slight annoyance coming onto his face. "So… what are you guys gonna do about going home?"

Rua shrugged. "I can't leave without her. I guess we'll just go back when she wakes up."

* * *

><p>The severity of their impact had been so intense that it left Yubel and Manjoume unconscious. As Yubel's eyes fluttered open several hours later, the sun had already slipped past the horizon, leaving the sky pitch dark save for the multitude of stars which seemed to be watching her.<p>

It took her a few moments to realize that she'd transformed back into her usual form (assuming that she could ever be considered "usual"). She sat up right and took a look around. "Judai?" she called out softly, fully expecting his immediate response. Instead, a sharp pain going from the back of her neck to her head is what met her. She groaned loudly, causing the figure beside her to stir. She looked over, assuming it was Judai, but was disappointed to find that it was only Manjoume.

Yubel turned to her left; no Judai. Behind her; no Judai. She climbed out of the creator that she created when she hit the ground, and took a look around. They appeared to be in a desert of sorts, dry and arid land, flat and unchanging. She could see into the distance for miles, and there was no Judai.

Yubel's heart sank like a stone as the reality of the situation hit her.

She looked up towards the sky, hoping against hope that he was there, flying somehow. But he wasn't there either.

Yubel sank to her knees. "_JUDAI!_"

* * *

><p>Shoji suddenly sat upright. "Did you hear that?"<p>

"Hear what?" Chosaku asked.

He looked back down at the boy, sleeping before him on one of their makeshift beds. He shook his head. "Nothing. It was probably just the wind."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Notes~.

In the first part, we see Judai, Yubel and Manjoume going down into the Ocean of Different Dimensions. All was well until they actually came in contact with the Light: it immediately begins to attack Judai, and it overpowers him rather easily. The Light _"[fills] his lungs and [burns] it's way straight to his mind",_ leaving everything _"just like new"._

There are several reasons why the Light wasn't able to hurt either Yubel or Manjoume in the same way. With Manjoume, it's because he's _from_ the WoL and is immune to attacks that come _directly_ the entity. Yubel isn't affected either because, well, that's what her power is, isn't it? All damage dealt to her is negated and sent back to the user; if anything, she was probably hurting the Light without even _trying_.

When Yubel and Manjoume are more injured due to their _landing_ in the WoL, rather than their encounter with the entity itself. For Yubel, it was because, when she took in the damage dealt to her when she hit the ground, she had nowhere to redirect it to, so she was forced to take it upon herself. But even then, she her injuries aren't severe, limited to some shooting pain in her neck and head.

As for the second part, it's all about irony. Ruka has a Big Damn Heroes moment and saves none other than the King of Darkness himself; had she let him fall to his death, Darkness would have lost, and there would have been no war (so if anyone's to blame for this big damn mess, it's RUKA *evil glaring from across the room*). Also, there's a smaller instance of irony in that Ruka is supposed to be this all-powerful dragon, but just doesn't see herself as such, evident in how her own voice sounds so "small" to her. This can be taken literally and figuratively. If taken figuratively, it can be interpreted as Ruka not thinking that her opinion matters much. A prime example of this can be seen in how Rua was able to coerce her into visiting Chosaku and Shoji, even when she didn't want to. This is also shown in how she's polite to her former guardians, even though she still holds a considerable amount of resentment towards them.

So, the third part is there to set up how drastically Yubel and Manjoume's mission in the WoL has changed. Looking for the signers will no longer be their primary objective: now, they have to focus on finding Judai.

And the fourth part? Yes, Shoji did just hear Yubel screaming. Literally :D

That's all. Review? :3


	5. Missing

**A/N:** Hey guys! Look! I combined 2 chapters in one!

Soooooory for the long wait. But look. Two short, rewritten chapters ("Search" and "Visions") presented to you in one long chapter ("Missing"!). That's enough for y'all to forgive me, right?

…_Right?_

Well anyway. Answers to the reviewssssss.

FamficFemale: Thank's for pointing that out to me! I edited it, I think I caught em all ^^

SecondtoNon: Hmm, well this chapter in particular doesn't deviate too much from the original. But I got a few tricks up my sleeve ;)

Brainbowcrazy: Oooooh trust me, this is gonna be better than the original. (I hope? ^^)

CyberAngel08: AND HERE IS MORE :D

And that's all. REVIEW Y'ALL.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to Yu Gi Oh DM, GX, 5Ds, or ZEXAL. Nope. Not at all. _*cries and sighs and flies into the sun*_

**Chapter 5- Missing**

"Judai... Judai, where are you?!" Manjoume called out helplessly as he walked through the endless desert, his hands cupped around his mouth to emphasize the volume of his voice. He looked around helplessly, realizing why he was always warned to stay out of the desert when he was growing up: it simply never ended. His sense of dread and panic increased with every one of his cries gone unanswered.

Yubel flew overhead, circling around Manjoume. _"JUDAI! JUDAI!" _she screamed, desperate to find her King. She'd gone over what had happened over and over in her head, and no matter which way she looked at it, nothing made sense. They may have crash-landed, but Judai could not have simply _disappeared_. Nor could he have been kidnapped, taken from her by any means. Not only did he have enough power within himself to deal with any mere human who dared to attack him, but furthermore, no one in the World of Light had any reason to harm him. None of them knew of his true identity as the King of Darkness come to destroy their malevolent Light; as far as they knew, he was like any other. One of them, even.

The dimensional portal through which they came into the World of Light was already long gone. Yubel hadn't seemed to notice, but Manjoume had. It wasn't something he wanted to think about, but he knew that there was the slightest possibility that they were stranded. He fell down to his knees. "Judai…" he whispered. "Where are you?"

* * *

><p>Judai felt his eyes flutter open, blinking a few times, his eyes adjusting to the Darkness that surrounded him at all sides. Slowly, he sat up. He could see small rays of Light streaming in through the open door, all the stars that lit up the night sky. He took a look around, and with the Light's help could clearly make out the two men seated at his bedside, hunched over and asleep. Careful to be quiet so that he wouldn't wake them, he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed on which he lay. He stood up and tried to take a step forward, but immediately regretted it. Instead of feeling the floor underneath him, he felt something else entirely.<p>

A soft, strange moan emitted from the child he accidentally stepped on. He looked down to see his boot pressing down on the shoulder of a boy who looked no older than 9 or 10 years old. His large, brown eyes were filled with pain and confusion as he stared up at the King. Judai lifted his foot off of him and mouthed out an apology, though he doubted that the boy would be able to make it out. He held his finger up to his lips, asking for his silence, and to Judai's relief the boy seemed to understand what he meant. The boy closed his mouth obediently, and shut his eyes.

He took a moment to scan the floor, and saw that the boy he'd just stepped on wasn't the only one there. The floor littered with small, sleeping children, all bony and malnourished. Frowning, he carefully tiptoed around them, his objective being the outside world. By miracle or by chance, he managed to make it to the front door without stepping on another orphan. He stepped outside, looking out towards the vast and never ending desert before him, cool and dark and dangerously foreign, knowing nothing of this land except that he was going to it. It looked as though no matter which way he went, he would be embarking on a road to nowhere. But the land called out to him, willing him to come forward into its embrace.

And he couldn't find a reason for it. Trying to remember what happened before he woke up was fruitless, everything bright and blurry in his head. Having nothing else to rely on but his instincts, he walked out into the desert before him. He did not look back.

* * *

><p>Miles away, back in the royal palace, things were in a state of panic.<p>

Facing his open window, turned away from his guards, King Godwin wasted no time. "You must find Ruka immediately," he ordered his law enforcement agents. He voice, normally calm and level, was now laced with an uncharacteristic sense of urgency. "She was supposed to be back from her walk with her brother at six. It is now well past midnight. I don't think I have to remind any of you of the endless list of people who would love to do a young girl like her harm, whether it be because of her signer status or otherwise."

The King let an uncomfortable silence pass. He himself was only vaguely concerned with what went on beyond the walls of the Royal City, but he knew that his law enforcement agents were very aware of the full weight of what could happen to a child such as Ruka. Many of the satellite tribes under the administration of the Godwin dynasty were crime ridden and dangerous, infamous for their hostility towards outsiders. Ruka's disappearance aside, the mere mention of the tribes filled those in palace with disgust—this was, of course, save for Jack and Crow, who were from these tribes themselves.

Godwin turned to face his agents. "Ushio," he began, addressing his law enforcement general personally. "I trust that you and your team will find her by sunrise."

Ushio bowed deeply before his King. "Of course. We won't let the tribesmen hurt the first signer. We'll have our young savior back in no time."

Godwin narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you will." The general lowered his gaze, nodding solemnly. He knew the consequences that would await him should he not bring back the signer on time. And though Ushio knew in the back of his mind that a mere few hours would most likely not be enough, he knew not to bring this up to his King. He had to do what he was told. Failure was not an option.

And as Ushio lead his men through the main entrance of the palace, he knew that the fate of their world rested on his shoulders—or, more accurately, the safety of the first signer. Though only a child, if they lost her, if she died, all hope would be lost. There would be no possibility of the Light's return unless all five signers were alive and well.

As for the four remaining chosen one's, three of them stood on the balcony they'd been introduced to the world on, watching Ushio and his men march off. Crow frowned, drumming his fingers nervously on the balcony's edge. "What if they don't find them, Aki?"

The female signer smirked, twirling a flyaway lock of hair around her finger as her jet black eyes followed the law enforcement agents as they descended on into the horizon. "I wouldn't worry about it. The twins probably just got themselves lost. The world is a big place, if you haven't noticed." She turned to look at Crow, who was still visibly upset. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "If anyone tries to hurt them, Ruka can handle it. If they get hurt, Rua can take care of it. Have more faith in them!"

Crow nodded and tried to smile, but the gesture never made it up to his eyes, still tense with worry. He was well aware that the world was a big place—that's what most concerned him. Ruka and Rua had been gone since the morning, and with a world so vast and endless before them, he knew that the chances of them being found decreased with every minute they remained missing. They could be _anywhere._

Jack stood just behind them, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed, looking just a bit disinterested in what his fellow signers were talking about. "In case you two haven't noticed," he interrupted, "Yusei is missing, too."

Aki and Crow turned to look at him, but said nothing. Neither of them had noticed Yusei's absence. But the two signers saw no need to be alarmed—they knew how Yusei was, and why he away.

* * *

><p><em>For nearly all of her life, Ruka's sleeping patterns could be categorized as shallow at best. She went to sleep quickly and woke easily. While Rua's sleep was often littered with dreams of the strange and stupid variety, the first signer was free of such nonsense, and she was more than aware of how much of a blessing that was. She would never forget how the orphanage had more than its fair share of traumatized children, haunted by dreams of famine and disease and death. She and Rua were born in the spring one year, the deaths of their parents following a few weeks later. They remembered nothing, and thus were not haunted. <em>

_ But that was always subject to change. She flew away from her home with Rua riding on her back the day of the incident which awakened her mark; she flew for only a few minutes before collapsing in the sand, exhausted. They wandered from village to village for the next few weeks, begging for money in order to keep themselves fed. Some villages were better than others. For every awful thing they saw, they both knew that somewhere out there, someone else had witnessed or gone through even worse. They knew this because they were still able to sleep at night when so many others could not._

_ And even after all that, after Rua was discovered as a healer and Ruka was revealed as a signer, she still slept just fine. And it being a palace, she assumed everyone else within its walls could, too. _

_ This was the case for most of its inhabitants, but certainly not for Aki's older sister, Misty. Coming to the palace on more than just her sister's coattails, Misty attracted the attention of King Godwin with her extraordinary psychic abilities. She could look into the eyes of any given person and see their pasts, their present, their futures. She held the power to ease worries and warn of impending doom, but chose not to more often than not, much preferring to sit back and watch as the person either prevailed or perished. Ruka knew that, despite Misty insisting otherwise, it was little more than entertainment to her. _

_ But she saw nothing in the faces of the signers: instead, the stories of their lives haunted her dreams. She would often allude this to them, but never went into detail. Her erratic sleeping pattern supported her claims, but after some weeks had gone by and she thought about it for a while, Ruka realized that Misty could've very well been lying, making existence of these supposed dreams up in order to cover up her inability to see into their futures. She never mentioned her suspicions out loud._

_ It all came to a head one night, as Ruka was awoken by a shrill scream. Her eyes shot open, but she lay still in bed, staring out into nothing, too afraid to move. The screaming continued, down the hall, something ravenous and desperate and scary, and it reminded Ruka of all the trauma she'd seen. She clawed at her bed sheet with her tiny fists, half of her wanting to go to the source of the screaming and sooth it out of whoever was in such pain, and the other half wanting nothing more than to simply go back to sleep. _

_ '_Be brave, Ruka. Be brave.'

_Before she could convince herself out of it, she jumped out of bed, running out of her room and down the hall, to the source of the screams. She reached the door where they were coming from and, her heart beating wildly in her chest all the while, pushed open the heavy brass doors. What lay on the other side would become imprinted in her mind for the rest of her life. _

_ The room before her lay in shambles: the curtains were torn, the mattress and wooden furniture held up against the walls, barricading the windows. Ink and rice paper lay strewn across the floor, illegible messages written on them. There was a multitude of scratch marks on the walls. But what caught Ruka's immediate attention was Misty, the one presumably responsible for it all, who at that moment was too busy tearing apart her wooden bedpost to noticed that she was there. _

_ "M… Misty…?" Ruka managed to squeak out._

_ The psychic's back straightened immediately, the movement ridged and almost unnatural looking. She turned her head slightly. "Ruka, is that you?" she asked in a voice so pleasant, that it was hard to believe that she'd been screaming only a few moments before. The corners of her lips twitched upwards for a second, before falling flat again. _

_ All was still and quiet for just a moment, the world almost standing still as Ruka and Misty stood staring at one another, one shrouded in an aura of mystery, the other paralyzed with fear. And then, just as suddenly as it had slowed down, time began racing once again, and Misty continued to spin out of control._

_ "Ruka, something _terrible_ is coming out way!" she cried, frantic once again. She tore away another piece of her bedpost, with strength that no one would have guessed her to have, and without warning threw it at the first signer. The young girl caught it just before it hit her in the face. "Take this! You'll need it to fight in the first round!"_

_ '_First round? What is she talking about?'

_ Misty continued tearing apart her bedpost. "Ruka, Ruka, they're coming. They're coming to destroy us all. They'll come from all sides, but mostly from up above, and they'll come down on us like an ocean. We'll be powerless to stop _those people, _those _demons._" She took hold of one of the slabs of wood and began to sharpen it at one point with her sharp, jagged nails until there was a long, harpoon-like point. Waving it around in Ruka's general direction, her rambling continued. "And when they come, fire will rain down on us, followed by stone and skeletons, and finally by eight deadly creatures. One creature will appear every day for one week, and on the eighth day a mighty beast will come down with the Masters of Fire, Death and Beauty riding on it's back. And then they'll kill us all!" She waved her spear in the direction of the window. "They'll come in through the windows, which is why we have to seal them with everything we can! The end is coming and we can't stop it. Best we can do it prolong it!"_

_ Suddenly, a large figure burst into the room, nearly knocking Ruka down in the process. It was Ushio. He tackled Misty, grabbing her spear and wrestling it away from her. Throwing the makeshift weapon onto the ground, he grabbed her wrists and twisted them around her back._

_ "What were you doing?!" he barked in his typical authoritarian manner. "What were you doing to Ruka?!"_

_ "Nothing!" the psychic roared in return. "But the King of Darkness—he sure might!"_

_ After that incident, her dreams crashed into her like rolling thunder every night. It was the same one, over and over again, forever resetting as soon as she lost consciousness. The dream started out harmless enough: she'd be in a meadow, surrounded by wildlife and beauty, playing with the indigenous creatures of that land. _

_ But it wouldn't be long before _he_ came._

_ In Ruka's mind, the King of Darkness was a huge, hulking man dressed in dark armor with an evil look in his eyes. He would come into her sanctuary and fill everything with the nihilistic aura of Darkness. Her flowers would wilt, her lakes would dry up. Her critter friends would waist away, dying and rotting before her very eyes as at grotesquely rapid speed. The sun would set on her world and leave it twisted and dark, presumably forever._

_ In her dreams, he'd always save her for last. But he never made it to her; she'd always wake up before that happened. _

_ She wasn't sure what to make of these dreams. So, she asked her brother, who proceeded to laugh at the very notion of her having untapped psychic abilities. But Ruka knew her brother, knew him better than anyone else ever would—and she knew that he was wrong far more often than he was right. _

_ Her nightmare never missed a day. The night she stayed at the orphanage was no exception._

_ "N-no, don't do this! Stop!" she cried out as the King of Darkness destroyed her world, zapping the beauty out of it with his mere presence. He ignored her cries, making no moves to stop his reign of terror. _

_ "Please!" she begged. The only way she could think to stop him would be to transform into her true form, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not. Something was stopping her. _

_ Her dream repeated itself out the same way, over and over every night; no matter how much this dream scared her and would always scare her, some part of her knew she'd seen it before. Which was why she noticed the sudden change in pattern when the King turned to her, and spoke her name. "Ruka."_

_ The first signer froze. She didn't know what to do. _

_ He took a step closer, his eyes filled with hatred and Darkness. "Ruka," he repeated._

_ "G-get away from m-me…" she stammered, backing away._

_ "Ruka…"_

_ "Leave me alone!" she cried out, her whole being wracked by nervous tremors._

_ "Ruka!" _

_ She screamed._

"RUKA WAKE UP!"

The youngest signer sat upright in a jolt, covered with sweat and still shaking with fear. She turned her head to see her brother beside her, his face etched with worry. His concern somehow calmed him—surely, her brother would protect her from that vile King. Wasn't that was brothers were supposed to do, after all? Protect their sisters?

"You okay?" he asked her.

She swallowed her fear, and nodded. Of course she was okay. It was only a dream. As long as she knew that, everything was fine. "I'm fine. I'll be okay."

Rua nodded in return, acknowledging her answer. "Well then, c'mon, we gotta go!"

"Huh?" she rubbed her tired eyes. "Why?"

"Look outside!"

She did, and suddenly, the realization of their situation hit her. It was the middle of the night, and they were still at the orphanage.

"Oh, no!" she cried as she jumped out of bed, shaking away the sleep from her eyes as best as she could. "We've got to get back! How did this happen?!" She quickly slipped on her sandals and, careful to miss any sleeping orphans, made it outside with her twin just behind her.

They ran in the direction of the palace, not racing this time. No, that's what got them into this mess in the first place. They ran not for fun but because they were desperate, because they knew Godwin was quick to act and would go to the ends of the earth to find them—or, more accurately, her.

They wasted no time, and were so quick to leave that they failed to notice that the boy she'd rescued wasn't there any more, either.

* * *

><p>In the cold and quiet stillness of the desert, a bright, shining figure illuminated the night sky, gliding slowly through the air. There were no villages for several miles, so no one was around to see it; but had there been someone, anyone at all, they would have thought that, whatever it was, it was beautiful. This wouldn't have been an opinion, but a statement of fact.<p>

It—or more accurately, _he—_was a dragon, shimmering white with pale blue scales. He left sparkling dust in his wake, the particles of Light falling from him as easily as dead skin would. It was a built in tracking system that had proved to him time and time again to be more hurtful than helpful; however, it was essential to him in this particular situation. After all, without it, he would have lost himself in the desert ages ago. He flew skillfully, crying out in a roar that could never be interpreted as a battle cry. Despite the natural edge to his voice, it was still apparent that he was calling out to someone in a calm, gentle manner.

He knew that the twins could very well be in danger. He wasn't as indifferent as his father was to the harsh realities of life outside the Royal City. With that in mind, part of him had already begun to lose hope; a shining dragon wasn't hard to miss. They should have spotted him already, even if it was from a great distance (it was the main reason why he was going as slow as he was: in case they needed to catch up to him). And he theorized that even if they had gotten themselves into trouble, Ruka wouldn't hesitate to attack, if only to defend Rua. And if something of that nature had happened, he would have seen it already along the flat expanse of desert.

Yes, part of him had already lost optimism. But another part, a much bigger part, the side of him that made up who he was, pressed onward. In the sky, he flew not too high or too low, and kept his eyes on the ground.

And this was the moment when he first laid eyes on him, the dark figure clad in black and read, only just recognizable against the Darkness of the night. He stood just out on the horizon, still and unmoving. As Yusei flew closer to the figure, he could see that the skinny kid with soft brown eyes and hair was staring right back at him, his eyes wide with amazement. And was that also relief? It didn't surprise Yusei: Jack had once told him, his good intentions could be felt even by those who wished to do him harm.

Yusei began to lower himself onto the ground, and as he did, his true form began to disintegrate into dust, floating back up into the stars and leaving nothing but his human self. The transformation was complete just as his feet touched the ground. The boy stood staring at him with endless brown eyes that told him nothing. Beginning to grow uncomfortable under his heavy gaze, Yusei cleared his throat. "Hello. I'm Yusei." He nodded at the boy, his greeting sounding too simple even to his own ears. He bowed down slightly, out of respect. The boy repeated after him, and afterwards, went right back to staring at him. It was at this point that Yusei began to wonder if this had been a mistake, if perhaps there was something wrong with him.

Finally, after some endless long moments, a huge grin broke out on the young man's face. He nodded, his expression friendly with just a hint of worry underneath. "You're Yusei."

The Third Prince nodded. "Yes. I am."

"Yeah." He nodded in return. "It's a nice name. Unique. I bet it makes you stick out. Um," he chuckled, "more than you already do, I guess!"

"Actually, it did," Yusei allowed himself to smile a bit. "Before everything else, when I was just a kid, that's what made me stand out. My mother named me. Unfortunately, I never got to ask her where she came up with such a name."

His eyes softened. "I bet it means something beautiful."

"Well, I don't know about that," Yusei replied, smiling even more. "I bet your name means something even better."

"Yeah. I bet it does."

Yusei frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know." The boy shrugged, his grin growing into something sweet and wide. "I must have a name. Everyone's got a name, right? But for some reason I just… can't seem to remember mine…"

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** Notes time!

The first part doesn't deviate too much from the original: Yubel and Manjoume are looking for Judai and getting themselves lost in the process. It's just what they do.

The second half gets a bit more heavy. Before I start, if it hasn't already been made obvious: Judai made contact with the Light while coming down to the WoL, it wiped his memory clean, and now he can't remember a thing. This part serves as an intro to this new reality for him, and is meant to be taken both literally and figuratively. On the symbolic side of things: Darkness and Light. Judai himself is supposed to be the _King_ of Darkness, but he has to take a moment to allow himself to "adjust" to the Darkness that surrounds him. His role as the representative of Darkness will always be within him no matter if he knows it or not (just as it was in GX), but because Judai has been rendered unaware of who he really is, he subconsciously doesn't know which side he should align himself with. This if further complicated by the Light's role: it helps him "see" Chosaku and Shoji sitting next to him. The Light serves as the only guide he has to see where he's going, because he is now in the _World of Light._ The _Light_ suddenly has the upper hand, is in control, and can guide Judai to wherever it sees fit. More on that later.

There's also some symbolism going on when it comes to Judai's name. I only use it twice, once in the first two paragraphs. The name 'Judai' is tied to his role as Supreme King: because he lost all his memories and therefore can't fulfill his role as the Herald of Darkness until further notice, the name 'Judai' has also been taken away from him, so to speak. Don't worry, we'll find something new to call him soon enough ;)

So, onwards to the third part. We find ourselves back in the palace where everyone is royally buggin' out over Ruka and Rua's disappearance. Some subtly implications made about Godwin here: when he mentions how there are people out there who would hurt Ruka, he lets an "uncomfortable silence" pass. He's manipulating Ushio and his men, letting them think the worst even though he's not sure what happened, in order to pressure them into finding her. Godwin doesn't care about Ruka in herself, only that she's a signer: this is shown in how he keeps mentioning how Ruka needs to be found. As in, only Ruka. He never mentions Rua. Because Ruka is a signer, while Rua is only a healer (muHahAhaHAHah I made the sixth signer into a special snowflake I wonder why MORE LATER). But yeah, if Ruka were anything but a signer, Godwin wouldn't have sent a search party out for her. He would have given no fucks.

Also! Notice how Godwin _never_ explicitly states that people from the tribes are behind Ruka's disappearance—but Ushio assumes it. This is done to underscore the internalized prejudices that the people of the Royal City and other, more affluent villages have against people from the tribes. They'll always assume the worst of them.

Now the fourth part. Ruka's dreams and whatnot. To be honest, this part doesn't have too much symbolism in it, at least not any that I can adequately explain right now without spoiling my own story. For now, just think of it as **heavy** foreshadowing veiled in symbolism that'll only make sense later.

One thing I will elaborate on, though: Ruka is obviously more powerful than her brother, but she still looks to him to protect her (hey! Just like in 5Ds!). But at the same time, it's implied that she would only jump head-first into a fight if it were to defend Rua. So in short: Ruka herself isn't much of a fighter, she'd rather let her healer brother do the fighting, but if his safety comes into question she's about to blow some fucking heads off. This type of confliction stems from the _horrors of growing up._ Ruka's discovering herself, in a way. We'll see how this goes.

Annnnnd for the fifth and final part. This one actually _doesn't_ have any symbolism. Some mild foreshadowing with Yusei and his mother. Also, "Jack had once told him, his good intentions could be felt even by those who wished to do him harm." SO LITERAL IT HURTS.

That's about it. There's a good chance next chapter's gonna be brand new, or at least mostly brand new. So stay tuned! And in the meantime, review.


End file.
